Tasting

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Horio, with the support of Minerva, has trained special teams, in collaboration with the National Technical University of Athens, as well as, a number of external consultants, who undertake the completion of the tasting process.

But what does tasting mean? Tasting refers to the evaluation of a food, from an expert team of tasters, known as the panel. The evaluation can take place at any time during working hours. The panel evaluates the organoleptic properties of the food, i.e. evaluates the food’s characteristics, as the average consumer would perceive them.

The organoleptic panel members evaluate parameters such as:

Flavor: sweet, bitter, salty etc

Aftertaste: the feeling left in the mouth after the tasting,

Color: if the food has the correct / desire color,

Scent: if the food smells the way it should,

Salinity: if the food is as salty as it should be,

Sweetness: if the food is very or somewhat sweet, if it is defective in some way etc.

Because each individual has his or her personal preferences, in order for objective results, based on averages, to be reached, a panel must be well-trained and be comprised of at least 15-20 people.

Except for the its own, in-house panels, when it comes to olive oil tasting, Horio also collaborates with specialists from the the General Chemical State Laboratory and the Ministry. For the evaluation of cheese, Horio collaborates with specialists from the Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology at the National Technical University of Athens.

At Horio, we conduct tasting tests on each product, since every category has its own, unique characteristics. This is how we make sure that each of our products is unique in terms of quality as well.

A panel member, in order to describe olive oil, may use the term «spicy» to refer to the burning sensation one feels in their throat and fruity, because the olive oil has the scent of a freshly cut leaf. We can be certain that the more intense the spiciness of an olive oil, the better quality it is and the richer in natural antioxidants (polyphenols).

Let us conduct a quick tasting so that we can discern between different varieties of olive oils:

We cut slices of bread into small bites

We pour a hefty amount of each olive oil into separate, glass bowls

We place each bowl on a white surface and examine the olive oils’ differences in color and texture

Before each tasting we drink water and eat a slice of bread

Before tasting the olive oil, we stir it inside the bowl so as to release its aromas

We smell the olive oil, noting that there are differences from one olive oil to the next

We dip a piece of bread into the olive oil and taste it

We examine the taste and texture of the olive oil, as well as, the aftertaste